Shadows of the Force
by Arieko
Summary: [Star Wars AU] One dreams of being a pilot and the other loves to build things. But as they live their quiet and peaceful life on Alderaan, sisters Yang and Ruby are quickly thrust into a life they weren't quite ready for. With the war between the Empire and Republic raging on throughout the galaxy, what happens when both sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a galactic war?
1. Peaceful Beginnings

**A/N: Well, how do I even start this. I had this idea for a while and due to a certain someone they told me to post it. I know I just recently put out "Rise to Power" as well for when I finish Octane but I decided to change it up a bit.**

 **I'm going to start a poll on my profile for which story I should keep writing once Octane is over. This one or Rise to Power.**

 **As you might have noticed from the title of this story, this one will be a Star Wars AU (SWToR timeline). And will be pretty... different from my other stories with what I have planned for the plot so far. I only gave a brief insight in this chapter, not wanting to go too deep.**

 **But anyways, be sure to vote on the poll on my profile for which story you'd like to see continued! I'll keep the poll up probably until November 20th!**

* * *

 **Shadows of the Force**

 _The year is 3643 BBY_

 _Out in the fringes of known space, a heated war takes_

 _place. The Republic who stands for peace in these troubled_

 _times and the resolute Empire which aims to conquer all in its path._

 _Between these two factions, the once peaceful galaxy has found itself plunged_

 _into war yet again. But as the two super powers clash on worlds and in space alike,_

 _there are those whom would like nothing more than to just live_

 _their lives in tranquility and peace. The same people who had no reason to be caught_

 _up in the endless bickering between the galactic Republic and the iron-fisted Empire…_

 _But sometimes, fate dictates otherwise…_

 _And quite usually in the most unlikely of places._

"Ruby, come on! We have to head back!"

A girl no more than the age of thirteen stood waiting for her younger sister. With long blonde hair that reached to the small of her back, and a bright smile that reached all the way to her twinkling lilac eyes, she waved towards the shorter girl who jogged towards her.

"Wait! Yang, hold on!" The shorter girl, whom Yang had called Ruby shouted.

The shorter crimson haired girl jogged hurriedly, her short hair bobbing with each step. Her silver eyes were furrowed with worry as if she didn't think her older sister would actually wait for her. Once she caught up with her though, Ruby placed her arms on her legs, trying to catch her breath.

"Slow poke, I was gonna leave you, you know?" The blonde girl named Yang joked as she flicked her little sister on the forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ruby cried as she stood up to full height, holding her head where Yang had flicked it.

But the blonde never answered, only turning on her foot and giggling. She walked towards a rusted dark blue speeder that sat parked a few feet away in the shade. Currently both she and her little sister were at the bazaar in the local town, a few miles where they lived. Tasked with grabbing a few supplies for her mother, Yang was just finishing her chores, carrying a sack of food they'd most likely be eating later this week.

But when she was about to leave their house, Yang saw Ruby running from inside begging to come along. Their mother of course let her. And Yang knew the reason why, she always looked out for Ruby. Being only eleven, Ruby grew up to rely on her, and Yang didn't mind it at all. Plus her little sister had a knack for building useful inventions that proved handy at home. That of course was the real reason she wanted to come along… to buy scrap metal.

Reaching the speeder, Yang hopped over the door and got comfortable in the hard leather seat, glancing over towards Ruby. The girl carried two burlap sacks full of rusted metal pipes and pieces as she tried to hurry towards the waiting vehicle, the metal clanging together with every step.

"Come on Rubes!" Yang laughed as she powered up the speeder, pretending she was getting ready to leave.

She saw Ruby's silver eyes grow wide and desperate as she moved just a little faster to catch up.

"Yang! Wait please!"

Tapping her hand on the wheel, the blonde smiled. She'd never leave Ruby but she did enjoy picking on her a little bit. She never got to at home since their mother would always punish her when she got caught, but when they were alone… Yang believed it was her right as the older sister.

Finally reaching the speeder, Ruby let out a sigh of relief, nearly collapsing inside the cabin as she dropped her heavy bags onto the floor inside.

"Safe!" she breathed out just as she shut the door.

Looking over and making sure she was strapped in; Yang hit the gas and felt herself be pushed back in her seat. Swerving around the bazaar's shoppers who walked in front of her, the blonde was confident in her driving abilities, never once hitting anyone or anything, even if she did get a few insults thrown her way for her reckless driving inside the town.

"Yang!" Ruby cried. "You know mom said not to drive like that in town!"

Yang on the other hand ignored her sister's complaints. She wasn't going to hit anything. It was too easy! It was almost like things were moving in slow motion when she drove the speeder.

"We'll be fine." Yang chuckled out as she made a sharp right turn, towards the gates of the town. "Plus what mom doesn't know won't hurt her."

With those words out, Yang shot Ruby a knowing look and could see the younger girl gulp in terror. Just in case she thought about ratting on her, Yang made sure to intimidate the younger girl beforehand.

"I- I won't tell." Ruby mumbled.

And with that Yang smiled triumphantly. Driving the speeder was one of the only times she felt freedom. She, Ruby, and their mother were almost always cooped up in their home on the outskirts of the city, living miles away. Where they lived was empty… with nothing but trees and bushes for as long as the eye can see. There were no buildings, houses, or even tents. They were secluded from anyone else. This wasn't really a bad thing to Yang but it made it quite boring.

She and Ruby had to make up their own games to play outside at home, but their "yard" was almost an entire forest. The planet they lived on, Alderaan, was beautiful, vast, and green. Even now, Yang could see the distant mountain peaks with the snow that covered them year round, the large trees that dotted the entire landscape, and even the large flying beasts whose wings cast shadows large enough to engulf a house.

Though she did wish she lived in the city, remembering when she asked her mom why they didn't that it was because of all the _political games_. Whatever that meant. At least Yang got to drive the speeder out though!

"I can't wait to get home!" Ruby beamed as she hopped in the seat next to Yang, her silver eyes sparkling with joy. "I think I can finally finish perfecting my traps I wanna finish!"

Yang sighed at that, Ruby had been trying to build little traps to place around the house just in case one of those Killik creatures came near. Yang had only seen them once and was both fascinated and disgusted by them. They looked like bugs, but bigger! Almost the size of a person. What she heard from people talking in town though was that they weren't exactly friendly.

And when Ruby heard about them as well, she began working on trying to protect their home from the _bug people_.

"Ruby you've never even seen a Killik before!" Yang teased. "Plus how do you know your trap will work?"

She looked over at Ruby as her sister gave her a sour look.

"You've only seen them once!" She whined as she kicked the bags at her feet. "And my traps _will_ work! Everything I build works!" She stated with a smug look then, crossing her arms in a snobbish manner.

Yang fought the urge to shove her sister while she was driving though. She couldn't deny that Ruby _was_ skilled at building things. She had built countless stuff in their home ranging from their transceiver, to their holo, and even a transponder for a ship that they sold in the market last year. They made a lot of credits off that. Both Yang and their mother had no idea how Ruby became so gifted in crafting things without any sort of guidance but they sure didn't mind it. It was one of the reasons why she let Ruby go to town with her to pick up more materials.

"My inventions always work, Yang!" Ruby whined, puffing her cheeks out as she stared down her older sister. "I even fixed your holo-book when you dropped it the other day, remember?"

Yang only huffed as she kept driving. They'd reach home in a few more minutes. As the paved path she rode on started to crumble and give way, leading off into one of the many forests on the planet, she took a left off the road and decided to cut through the forest to save some time. If her mother knew that she'd taken this shortcut, Yang was sure that she'd be grounded from driving the speeder for weeks. But like before, dodging things while driving was like second nature to her.

"Yang…" Ruby mumbled out as she realized just what her sister was about to do.

But Yang only grinned, gripping the wheel with both hands.

"You're good at making and fixing things Ruby." Yang uttered lowly as she pressed the accelerator further and further down. "And I'm good at piloting!"

And with that, Yang pressed the pedal down as far as it'd go; gaining more and more momentum until the trees she passed by were nothing more than just green blurs. She heard Ruby yelp in surprise but Yang didn't dare take her eyes off the path in front of her. She was confident, but not confident enough to not see where she was going. She kept the pedal to the floor as she yanked the wheel back and forth, left and right, easily dodging and avoiding any and everything in her path. It was almost like a game to her.

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her nor the smile that stayed on her face. She truly loved this feeling, the feeling of breaking free and flying off. It was her dream one day to pilot one of the many starships she's seen leave the docks in the city. To fly into the stars above and see other planets… But for now, this rusted speeder was the next best thing.

And she'd pilot the hell out of it!

They'd be home in no time with her behind the wheel!

* * *

As soon as they reached their home, Yang parked the speeder in the little garage they had and helped Ruby carry her bags of metal inside. Though as they prepared to walk through the door, already she could smell the sweet aroma of her mother's cooking.

"We're back mom!"

At those words, their mother, Summer, turned around from the stove and smiled at her two daughters. With long dark crimson hair that was the same colors as Ruby's and gentle silver eyes she smiled warmly at her two girls.

"Welcome home you two."

As if spurred on by the smell of dinner, both Yang and Ruby hurried to clean themselves up and get ready to eat. Much to Summer's amusement. Once they were all seated at the table however, it didn't take long for conversation to fill the air between them.

"How was the city today?" Summer asked; a seemingly innocent question but Yang felt her heart skip a beat at it as she subtly glanced over towards Ruby.

Ruby however didn't see the death glare from her sister, and as if she had forgotten Yang's earlier threat, she blabbed about Yang's driving habits.

"The city was fun mom!" Ruby started, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "But when we were driving back Yang took the shortcut in the forest really really fast!"

This earned the eldest daughter of course a disapproving look from her mom as Yang quickly found that her meal was the most interesting thing in the room.

"Well, I'm just glad you two are safe." Summer answered, though she still kept her eyes on her blonde daughter. "Even if one of you is reckless."

Quickly mumbling an apology, the rest of dinner passed by uneventful for the girls. After dinner they helped their mother clean up and as the sun fell behind the mountain peaks in the distance, as another moonless night quickly descended upon their little home.

In the garage working on the speeder, Yang shared the small workspace with Ruby and her creations. Even now, her younger sister tinkered with her trap that she was so adamant on setting up. Trying her best to ignore the loud sounds of hammering, welding, and gleeful shouts, Yang continued trying to make the family speeder not look like a rusted hunk of bolts. It quickly dawned on her though that no amount of elbow grease was going to fix that problem without a complete overhaul of the body.

"It's finished!"

Jumping from the sudden shout that echoed in the small garage, Yang banged her head against the underside of the speeder while trying to sit up.

"Ow! Damn it!"

Rolling out from under the speeder, Yang saw Ruby holding what could only be described as a large metal plate above her head.

"I finished it!" Ruby stated again. "The trap, it's done!"

Rolling her eyes, Yang gave the girl a doubtful look as she stood up and leaned against the speeder she was just under.

"Oh yeah?" She goaded. "It doesn't look like much, how do you know it'll work?"

Doubt crossed Ruby's features for half of a second before she retained her triumphant look.

"I know it'll work because _I_ made it." She said, sticking her tongue out at Yang, much to the other girl's chagrin. "Unlike you, who's been working on the speeder for weeks while it still looks like _that_."

With a growl, Yang leapt off the speeder she was leaning on and reached for her younger sister, ready to make her eat those words. At the sudden sight of danger however, Ruby yelped and threw her newly created trap to the ground with a loud clank.

Just as Yang took another step towards Ruby though her left foot landed right on the metal disk, which instantly emitted a loud and distinct beeping before a spark of electricity shot upwards. A bright arc of lightning quickly wrapped itself around Yang's body as the girl froze for a moment before falling forward right onto the ground with a groan. At seeing this however, Ruby only cheered in success before feeling dread at releasing Yang from the electric prison trap she ensnared her in.

"Ru…by…" Yang spat through gritted teeth. "Get… me… out of… _THIS_!"

Not needing any further motivation, the shorter sister quickly tapped a button on the underside of the disk and the dark blue lightning arcs that were traveling across Yang's entire frame vanished without a trace.

Quickly regaining control of her body, the blonde felt a soreness she hadn't experienced ever since she had fallen off a tree she had climbed years ago. All over her body too, she felt little spasms. Almost like she was still being stung by little jolts of electricity. She could even feel her hair sticking up all over as if it had been frazzled by the machine.

"S- Sorry Yang." Ruby muttered, though the girl didn't look sorry at all as she was bent over and inspecting her new toy. "Though you proved to be a great test subject!"

Yang growled towards Ruby with the intention of strangling the girl, but their mother's voice reached their ears as she called the two of them to come inside for the night. Taking a look outside the garage, Yang was surprised to see that it was pitch black, not even the stars casting any light as they were hidden behind the clouds. The only light coming from the interior of the garage they were inside.

"You're lucky." Yang noted as she brushed herself off.

Ruby only smirked towards her older sister, holding her trap under her arm. "I told you it would work though!"

As they exited the garage and locked it up, Ruby ran out towards the front of the house however, trap in hand. Watching the girl from the front steps, Yang wondered where Ruby was going to as she faded from view, quickly vanishing into the darkness. But the thuds of her footsteps quickly sounded again as she spotted the shorter girl jogging back towards her, this time without her prized trap.

"What did you do?" Yang asked just as she opened the door for the both of them to head inside.

Ruby smirked and help up a thumbs-up as she cast one last glance towards their front yard.

"I planted the trap out front. Just in case!"

Yang chortled at that as they both made their way towards the bathroom of their small home.

"One trap isn't going to do anything, dummy."

"Yeah huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes it will!"

"No it won't!"

With those words, Yang pushed Ruby forward, watching the girl stumble off-balance but never falling over.

"Yang, stop picking on your sister!" A voice shouted from the kitchen belonging to Summer.

Exhaling while slightly annoyed at being caught, she saw Ruby giving her another smug look to which Yang only ground her teeth.

"Whatever. Your trap is stupid!" She whispered quietly, making sure their mother wouldn't hear her.

"You're just mad because you got caught in it!"

The girls continued bickering all the way until they reached their shared bedroom. It took the intervention of their mother to quiet them down until finally they were both in their respective beds. Once the door closed however, Yang remembered how Ruby had tattled on her about taking that short cut as her mind drifted. She'd have to remember getting her back tomorrow for that.

Rolling over on her bed, she looked out towards the lone window that was in their room, slightly disappointed at not being able to see any of the stars dotting the night sky, the clouds blocking her view of them.

She hoped one day soon to be able to go out in space and travel around and see the galaxy. Her mother told her of the stories of when she had once been on a ship and had seen other planets, planets that looked nothing like Alderaan. There were ones that were nothing but desert or planets as cold as the mountain peaks just full of snow. Yang wanted to see them all. She just couldn't believe how many different types of worlds there were out there.

As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she kept thinking of ways to be able to go to space. She had seen both Republic and Imperial soldiers in the city sometimes and she knew that she could join one of them to be able to see the galaxy, but her mother would never allow it. Or even if she could be one of the noble Jedi! Her mother would approve of that, wouldn't she?

Even now, Yang pictured herself as a Jedi, garbed in those tan robes with a lightsaber as bright as the sun. She contemplated which color she would have just as she nodded off to sleep, images of dreams that she hoped would become a reality one day flashing through her mind…

Until a loud and familiar sound assaulted her ears. Quickly sitting up in her bed, Yang glanced around her room, seeing Ruby jump up awake as well…

"W- What is that?" Yang asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

She glanced around the room once again, suddenly untrusting of the shadows that were dancing around the walls.

 _Wait… shadows?_

Looking back at Ruby, Yang felt her eyes widen as she saw her little sister staring out the window. With one arm extended, the smaller girl was pointing outside with her other hand covering her mouth in an unbelieving expression.

It took all the courage Yang had to follow where her sister was pointing at, and it was then that she saw a familiar arc of lightning dancing around somewhere in front of the yard… The same arc of lightning she had been caught in earlier that night.

Ruby's trap had caught something.


	2. An Abrupt Change

**A/N: Alright, this chapter was rough for me to do as most of you might know the massive change that happened in my life recently. It's taking it's toll on my time and passion. There's a few things in this chapter I didn't initially plan on doing but some people changed my mind on things which I changed. Also the story won't follow this format of narrative as well. It'll change towards mainly static PoV ones.**

 **Anyway, check my profile for updates on what's to come or join the Discord chat.**

 **I'm off, until next time guys.**

* * *

Yang could do nothing but stare out the window with her mouth agape. Though the bouncing arcs of lightning erupted erratically and brightly, she couldn't tell who or _what_ it was in fact that was caught, she could see however that whatever was caught was flailing around trying to get out.

"I knew it'd be a good idea! See?!" Ruby shouted, her voice loud and enthusiastic.

But for Yang on the other hand, she didn't feel any of the joy and happiness that her younger sister was feeling at the moment.

No.

Yang felt fear.

 _'Who's trying to come to our home so late? Why now? Now what do we do?'_

This and more were question that surged through Yang's mind until the light which was coming from Ruby's device suddenly vanished. Yang felt her eyes go wide with alarm as darkness enveloped the room once again.

"W- Well… I wasn't expecting that." Ruby uttered, her earlier joyous attitude gone from her voice. "It shouldn't have fizzled out that fast."

Yang turned her head towards her younger sister who stood near her, looking deep in thought as she tried to deduce a miscalculation, but now wasn't the time. Whatever was out there was now free from her trap and would be heading right to their house unhindered.

"We have to wakeup mom!"

Without even hesitating, Yang made her way towards the door of their room. Though just as she reached for the handle, their mother, Summer, stood in the doorway. Yang's first reaction was to reach out and hug her mom but as she reached for her, her lilac eyes spotted something… odd in her mother's hand.

"Yang, Ruby." Summer whispered, her eyes wide and alert. "You're both okay, thank the heavens."

"M- Mom, t- there's pe-" Yang started, unable to get her voice to stay steady but her eyes were still trained on the unfamiliar object her mom held in her hand.

"I know honey, shush, it'll be okay." Summer comforted as she looked towards both her daughters. Though it wasn't until Ruby spoke up, pointing towards the weapon in Summer's hand that shook the woman from her thoughts.

"Mom… what is that?" Ruby asked, fear finally creeping into her voice now.

Summer only smiled humorlessly before her eyes lingered towards the window in the room. She couldn't see outside in the pitch black but she knew that something, or rather _someone_ was here.

"It's a blaster, sweetie." She answered truthfully, though she wasn't quite fond of them, she would rather use just that to protect her family…

"Why… Why do you have it?" Ruby continued, now drifting closer to Yang as both girls watched their mother as the woman regarded her children with a look that no parent wanted to give. One of unsureness.

Regret.

…

Resolve.

Wrapping both her daughters in a tight hug, Summer poured as much love as she could into the hold before she pulled away. She met both her eldest daughter's lilac eyes. Filled with fear and unfell tears, Summer quickly wiped the tears away from Yang's face before turning and looking at Ruby. The younger girl also looked shaken but her eyes were full of curiosity instead of tears.

"It's to protect you two from the bad people, love." She finally answered as she stood up to her full height.

She knew she didn't have a lot of time as whoever was outside would quickly make their way towards the home now that they knew they alerted her.

"Now listen," She started, quickly gaining the attention of both Yang and Ruby who looked at her. "You two need to stay in here and keep quiet."

She could see that Ruby was going to say something but Summer quickly held her free hand up to silence her daughter.

"No buts, I'm serious you two. Stay in here…" She finished, though she felt her voice crack. She was confident that she could… take care of whoever or whatever had found her but the real disconcerting thing was _how_ she was found.

 _'But first things first.'_

"I'll be back you two," She whispered, quickly placing a quick kiss on both of her daughter's heads before ruffling Yang's own. She watched as Yang's tearful eyes hardened the moment she did it and laughed, she knew Yang hated when she played with her hair.

Turning on her heel quickly and quietly, Summer made for the door. Though there was one last thing she had to tell her girls. Just in case things went wrong… there was always that chance. She couldn't tell them _why_ they lived like this… but she knew they always wondered. But she could tell them the one thing that kept her going, and why she would never _ever_ give up.

"I love you both… so much." She whispered.

And just like that, she was gone.

Shutting the door tightly, Summer broke out into a sprint through their small home. The blaster she carried heavy in her hand, heavy enough to make her feel weighed down and slow as she ran towards the front door.

Once she reached it however she waited. Pressing her ear to the wooden frame, she listened for any sounds of the intruders but heard nothing. She felt a shiver pass through her spine for the first time in a long time. The feeling brought memories in her mind, painful ones but she shoved them back. She couldn't afford to get distracted right now. Not when her daughter's lives were in danger.

Glancing down at the weapon she held, Summer tried to gather all the resolve she could. She wasn't exactly the best shot with a blaster, in fact only having fired it previously on two occasions a long while ago but the only alternative she had was…

Reaching into her left pocket, she felt the long metal shaft of an old relic she had kept in her possession. The moment her hand glided across of it though, a wave of emotions and memories came flooding back. All she needed to do was wield it. Hold in one last time and to protect those close to her.

Just as she had done in the past.

But that was just it. In the past. Shaking the seductive thoughts away, Summer withdrew her hand from her pocket. Away from her old _weapon_. There was a time when she would have gladly wielded it, rushing headlong into any and all problems. She remembered those times. Times when she didn't even have to wield it. When her enemies saw it… just that was enough for them to back down.

But it was also the reason why she was living like this. In seclusion and solitude. It was why she feared for her daughters' lives. It was why she was being hunted at this very second by forces unknown.

And it was because of this that she wouldn't use it right now. She had left that life behind long ago.

Taking another breath and calming her mind, Summer counted to three before she reached for the door's handle. She knew she couldn't risk waiting for whomever was intruding on her to make it into the house. Not while her daughters were here. She'd have to meet them outside.

Turning the handle and slowly pushing the door outwards, Summer felt her muscles tense in preparation for whatever was about to happen. She felt adrenaline pump through her veins as her senses heightened a bit as she _felt_ an old familiar feeling taking hold of her mind. The nostalgia of the familiar wave only served to tempt her further to reach for her old _relic_. It grew heavier with every second that passed but she resisted the urge yet again.

Pushing the door wide enough so she could fit through, the mother of two felt the cold breeze pass over her slightly sweaty skin as she peered out into the blackness of the night. Now that whatever contraption Ruby had set up was inert, she couldn't see anything at all but she could feel… no, she could _sense_ that there were still intruders outside.

Lifting the blaster up in front of her and slowly stepping out into the night, Summer held her breath. She kept her eyes trained in front of her, keeping alert and ready for any movements. She was afraid, but she knew this day would come, it was only a matter of time but she had hoped that it would be later. Always later. In a time when she was ready to explain to her two girls the truth about their mother.

But it seemed as if she wouldn't have that chance.

Still keeping her blaster aimed in front of her towards the darkness of the night, Summer finally stepped outside. The gentle cool breeze felt like a piercing wind chill and the darkness, which used to feel safe to her… now felt alien and hostile.

She was afraid. That much was obvious but she would not cower away.

Stepping softly now outside, she kept alert as she now was in the front yard of her home. Her eyes started to adjust to the pitch blackness but she still couldn't really make out anything other than the large pine trees surrounding the outskirts of her home as they swayed gently in the wind.

But when something other than the sounds of her own footfalls and the wind sounded off in front of her and to the left, Summer didn't hesitate for a second as she aimed her weapon towards the sound and pulled the trigger.

Four orange beams of light fired out of her blaster, enough to light up the entire yard with each shot as she caught a glimpse of two figures.

It all happened in mere seconds. She watched the bolts travel right towards the shadowed figure who stood no more than a few feet away from her… but each of the four bolts were deflected, veering off in different directions.

But that wasn't the part that caused Summer to freeze in both fear and hopelessness. No, that part was the beam of blue light that illuminated the night, the one that deflected each of her blaster shots effortlessly. The same blue beam that she'd recognize from anywhere belonging to a particular weapon that an Order, whom she no longer had anything to do with, used.

The brightness of the light caused her to narrow her eyes against it but she already knew who it was that found her. She couldn't believe it… She didn't _want_ to believe it.

"Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Summer felt her blaster slip out of her hands at the words, at the _voice_ who spoke out to her. It really was him. She felt her earlier emotions finally come crashing back and flood her mind with memories and images of her past. The same past which finally caught up to her again.

When Summer finally found her voice though, there was only a name that came to mind.

Her old friend. Her old mentor… her old beacon.

"Master Ozpin…"

* * *

"D- Did you see that?!" Ruby shouted from where she stood, still in the room with Yang. "That blue light deflected the blaster shots! Almost like some kind of shield!" She continued.

Already she formed calculations and hypotheses on what kind of shield design that could have been but something seemed off on it. Almost as if it weren't a shield at all… Maybe some kind of weapon?

Turning towards Yang, Ruby couldn't help but feel both invigorated and terrified. She was worried about her mom, about who her trap had captured earlier, about her and her sister! But she wanted to see what was happening outside.

When that blue beam of light erupted, it cast a light on a figure she wasn't familiar with. She could tell it was a man with white hair, dressed in some kind of robe but before she could examine him any further from the window, the light had extinguished and all was dark again.

"We have to find mom."

Ruby turned towards Yang as her blonde sister looked back at her with eyes full of fear. Seeing her older sister look scared wasn't something she was used to seeing and it caused her to get a little more worried as well.

"Let's go then." She answered.

Both sisters held their gaze for a moment before Yang nodded her head and nervously swallowed. Ruby still felt excitement in her body but when she moved to take a step and follow Yang out of the room, she noticed that her legs quivered with fear. Every step she took was shaky and uncertain but she stayed behind Yang.

They crept through the small hallways of their home, towards the front door but it wasn't until they were in sight of it that Ruby realized that neither she nor Yang had a weapon.

"H- How are we going to save mom, Yang?" She whispered, unable to keep the quivering fear out of her voice.

She watched Yang's back as the girl stopped walking and heard her sigh.

"I don't know…? Don't you have some stupid gadget or something?" Yang hissed back at her.

Ruby felt a hot anger rise up in her chest at the words though, unable to back down.

"My inventions aren't _stupid_." She angrily replied back, knowing she was no longer whispering but she couldn't help it. "You're stupid!"

She watched as Yang turned around and even in the dead of night Ruby could see the glare she got from her sister. Before Yang moved closer to her, Ruby already tensed up and braced herself. Not even a moment later did she feel Yang push her.

Reeling from the force of it, Ruby tried to keep her balance but failed as she fell on her back with a thud.

Pushing herself up within seconds, Ruby was prepared to leap at Yang to get her back, but when her vision was blinded by lights, she froze.

Blinking away the brightness of her home so suddenly, both girls glanced towards the front door of their home in awe. Three people stood in the doorway, but only one of them stood out to the both of them. Anger and hostilities gone now, both Ruby and Yang's eyes widened at the sight of their mother, who appeared shaken but unhurt as she peered back towards them.

"Mom!" They both cried out in unison.

Though right before they broke out into a sprint to hug their mother, both girls froze at the sight of the other two strangers who flanked her on either side. One was an older man with white hair who Ruby instantly recognized as the same person she spotted outside, with that blue light near him. He was dressed in loose fitting brown robes and wore small spectacles that barely covered his eyes. Ruby thought he would have looked scary if not for the gentle smile he was now giving her.

Though the other person's expression who stood on the left of her mother was anything but friendly. The other was a woman with blonde hair, almost like her sister's own but tied up into a bun. Her eyes regarded both her and her sister with an expression Ruby wasn't familiar with. She wasn't sure if she was mad at her or sad for some reason. She too was dressed similarly to the other man.

"Yang… Ruby…" Summer called out, though her voice sounded strained and tired.

Both girls turned their attention back to their mother who shook her head softly but there was a trace of a smile at her lips.

"I thought I told you two to stay in your room."

Both girls glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at their mother in shame. But as Ruby tried to form her thoughts and fears into words, it was Yang who spoke up first.

"I… we were scared." She mumbled out. "We were going to come help you!"

With every word that left Yang's mouth, it seemed as if her confidence rose. The blonde girl pointed towards the strangers though with a fierce look.

"A- Are you the two who tried to hurt my mom?" Yang shouted, though her voice betrayed the fear still present in her. "I won't let you!"

Ruby moved to stand next to Yang, forgetting about wanting to get her back, and nodded as if to agree with her sister.

There they both stood in defiance towards the two strangers near their mom. Though whether it was false bravado, adrenaline, or childish bravery, the two girls stood there and waited.

Until the white haired man let out a laughter that only confused the two girls until he turned to their mother with his smile still on his face.

"I see now." He chuckled out. "Your girls take after the old you, I must say."

Without missing a beat, the man took a step towards both Yang and Ruby who both instinctively took a step backwards.

"Ah, cautious are we?" he asked, though he raised his hands up as if he meant them no harm. "I will not hurt you or… your mother. I'm an old friend of hers."

But Ruby and Yang's eyes only looked at the robed man in apprehension. They turned their gazes towards their mother who also looked towards the man, but said nothing.

"How d- do we know you're not lying?!" Ruby shouted, pointing towards him much like Yang had earlier.

But the man only chuckled softly again, which only caused Ruby to get upset.

"What's so funny?"

Shaking his head and turning around to look at their mother, he gave the woman a knowing look again, the smile still not leaving his face.

"Well… would a Jedi ever lie?"

It took a moment for Ruby to understand the words he said but she shook her head. She had heard about Jedi before. They were heroes, almost like myths to the people of the galaxy. She had heard talk about them when she and Yang visited the town square to get supplies but she had never seen one before. All she knew was that they were powerful people who wielded swords of light.

Lightsabers.

"Ah, you don't believe me." The man asked to which he reached into his robe.

Ruby jumped at the sudden movement but the man only held up his other hand as if to calm her before pulling a long silver cylinder out of his pockets. Ruby felt her eyes focus in on the object, her mind quickly trying to make sense of it and what it was, but the man spoke up again, holding the rod in front of him now.

"I guess the only way to make you believe me is to show you this then?"

But his actions were cut short when Summer stepped behind him and placed a hand at his shoulder, halting him.

"I don't want them influenced by this… by my problems."

The man turned and peered into his old pupil's eyes before he understood.

"You haven't told them?" He asked towards Summer, which the woman only shook her head at the question. Almost shamefully.

Silence took ahold of the room again. All eyes turned towards the mother as the woman looked very close to breaking down. It was too much. All happening to fast for her. And tonight, she knew, she knew that she'd have to tell the two girls who were the world to her the truth about her and their life in solitude. And if they had to find out now… She was going to be the one to tell them.

But how? How do you tell your children something like that? She struggled to put it into words herself as she peered into Ruby's and Yang's eyes. Her two girls looked confused, scared, and maybe even a little angry but she wasn't surprised. Not at how they raised their voices at them, or even disobeyed her after she told them to stay in her room. She couldn't feel those emotions… but she did feel pride in them for wanting to protect her.

 _'Maybe I haven't failed just yet. Not again.'_

The thought caused her to smile now, and it was that that finally gave her the boost of confidence she needed to tell them the truth.

No more secrets.

"Yang, Ruby… Master Ozpin isn't lying." She answered, gaining the attention of her daughters as their faces scrunched up in confusion.

"He is a Jedi… and so… so was I."


End file.
